6 Tips for Finding a Good Mechanic Who Won’t Break the Bank

Finding a mechanic that you can rely on isn’t easy. While there are undoubtedly some great mechanics out there, knowing who to trust can be difficult, and making the wrong decision can be costly.

Here are 6 tips for not getting stung when you need a mechanic:

1. Stay Local
When deciding where to take your vehicle, you have three main choices: a big national auto chain, a dealership, or a local mechanic. At an auto chain or dealership, you’ll find mechanics who are particularly skilled at working with your make of car, but this comes with an inflated price tag in most cases. With a local mechanic, you’ll often get more personalized service as well as lower prices, and will be able to have much closer contact with the mechanic who is actually doing the work on your car.

Moreover, because local mechanics rely on a good reputation and positive word-of-mouth to bring in new customers, there’s a much bigger incentive for them to perform quality services and gain your trust. They won’t develop long-term relationships with customers if they sneakily add on extra jobs to bump up the final bill, so it’s in their interest to play fair. Dealerships and national auto chains are less reliant on this type of relationship, so they’re not as bothered if you don’t use them again. That’s not to say that all dealerships and big auto chains are necessarily out to sting you, but one of the disadvantages of going to a dealership for a service is the strong emphasis on getting maximum profits rather than looking to build relationships with customers. They are more about quantity than quality.

If you decide to go the local mechanic route, ask around and see if any particular names come up multiple times. If you notice the same mechanic being recommended by different people, that’s probably a great place to start.

2. Check their Reputation and Affiliations
Once you’ve got a name or two to go on, head over to the Better Business Bureau website to see what kind of reviews a particular garage has received. You might also want to take a look at the Mechanic Files tool on the Car Talk website. You can search for mechanics in your area (including those who specialize in particular makes) and see what ratings they’ve been given. Ratings on this site are based on factors such as how much they charge, how quickly you can expect them to complete work on your car, how trustworthy they are, and their level of skill and competency.

3. Do Your Homework
If you’ve got some idea of what might be wrong with your vehicle, you’re less likely to be seen as a potential victim who can be walked all over by the mechanic. Doing some background research on the potential causes of your problem can give you a rough idea of what you should be spending, and it will allow you to speak intelligently with the mechanic.

4. Get the Quote in Writing
Once you have your quote, get written confirmation so that the price can’t be jacked up on you. This also reduces the likelihood of finding adds-ons tacked onto the bill for work that wasn’t part of the original quote.

5. Gut Check: Do they Seem Legit?
Are the prices prominently displayed? Is it easy to find information on the warranty terms? A good mechanic will have this kind of information on display so that customers will not be confused. You’re right to be wary if you don’t see evidence of this!

Are you given any alternative options to reduce your bill, or are you just given the one solution? Depending on the problem that brought you to the mechanic in the first place, there may be more than one way to fix it, and some options will undoubtedly cost more than others. It can’t hurt to ask!

Are you allowed to stay and watch while work is performed on your car? If they don’t have anything to hide, there shouldn’t be a problem with you waiting around to assess the situation.

6. Are Problems Resolved?
If you do run into problems, you can learn a lot from how the situation is handled. An honest mechanic will want to resolve the problem as quickly as possible and retain your business rather than run the risk that you’ll warn others against using them. How they handle any unexpected obstacles is a telltale sign of the shop’s dependability and quality.

Final Word
What are your tips for finding a good mechanic that can be relied on without having to pay a small fortune? On the flip side, how can you tell if a mechanic is going to be a nightmare to work with? As always, I’d love to get your thoughts on the subject!

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13 thoughts on “6 Tips for Finding a Good Mechanic Who Won’t Break the Bank”

There are adanatage to using a dealership if you have a rare or late model vehicle. These manufacturer endorsed mechanics are trained by the auto makers and know about your car’s recalls and bulletins. Also they have diagnostic equipment that other shops do not have access to.

Any reputable shop will be subscribed to services that provide access to all TSB or Technical Service Bulletins including recalls and upgrades that have come out since your vehicle was purchased. While it is true that dealers have access to certain types of computerized equipment, this is usually not so much diagnostic equipment as gear for reprogramming your vehicle’s computer systems (which is a rare occurrence). In the year that I have been working in a small independent shop, we’ve had to send vehicles to the dealer for programming on perhaps three or four occasions.

Also, dealers are not usually keen on providing free diagnostics, where smaller independent shops often provide more in this regard. Our shop, for instance, provides free computer scans which is usually about a $75-$100 charge at the dealer.

There are advantages to working with dealer shops, but the disadvantage of a much higher cost for any type of repair or diagnostic usually outweighs them.

I want to echo Martin’s suggestion.
There are a slew of garages near where I work. I drove up and down the road and stopped at the most crowded one.
I have done well, so far. And I have always gotten same day service.
The fact that it is within walking distance of my office is a huge plus.

I found that larger chains of mechanics, always had a good reputation. Sure, you pay more for the service, but you have a national brand behind you, ensuring the work is done right, and any issues are resolved quickly.

I’d like to echo what Misty and Car Negotiation Coach said. First, I really believe I can always trust the dealer to actually diagnose and FIX my car. I’ve had problems with just about every mechanic I just walked into and that includes some national brands.

On the otherhand, whenever I’ve gotten a word of mouth referral from someone, the mechanic has always been stellar(or usually anyway).

I have a tip that can be applied to all contractors, find someone who doesn’t outsource his/her work. I’ve dealt with some contractors who like to outsource their jobs to a third party, but you have no control over the sub-contractor.

I think mechanics will rely heavily on social media and referrals in the future considering every mechanic myself and my family has gone to have been through referrals. This business in particular really seems to be built on trust.

I agree that going with the honest local mechanic is good advice most of the time. However, cars are vastly more complicated now than they used to be, and sometimes there is no substitute for a specialized mechanic that can be found at a place like a dealer. In short, for brakes, oil changes, radiators, and so forth think local. For emissions, air conditioning and similar issues think dealer (or a specialist for your model of car).

Very helpful thoughts. I happen to have a neighbor who is a mechanic, and he’s a guy I trust, so it’s an unusually good situation. I’d rely on word of mouth from trusted friends if I had to start looking for another mechanic, but this article lays out some good, common sense advice. Thanks!

Here’s a tip – don’t try to act like you know it all. Believe it or not, my brother just had his car serviced by a local car dealer. He wasn’t worried because they’re big and can’t afford to cheat people, right?

He didn’t even get a quote – just told them to do the work.

He picks up the car and he now owes $2,900!!!

It’s a good thing he thinks the car is running GREAT. I think he’s justifying the cost. Personally, I always ask for a quote before they start anything.